Comparison

Bookshelf vs Aleph

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Bookshelf

Track your reading, build a library, and improve your habits with insightful stats and AI-powered discovery. Remember what you read with notes and quizzes, and set reading goals to stay motivated. Sync across devices and export your library.

Highlights
  • Build and manage your book library
  • Track reading progress and habits
  • AI-powered book recommendations
  • Take notes and create quizzes
  • Set reading goals and reminders
  • Import from Goodreads and Kindle
  • Sync across iOS devices
Features
Read full description

Bookshelf helps you track your books, build a lasting reading habit, and better remember what you read—now with powerful AI-powered discovery tools to help you find your next great read! Add books you’ve read, books you’re reading, and books you want to read. Improve your reading habits with insightful stats and trend reports. Stay motivated with reading goals, streaks, and reminders. Remember what you read by writing and reviewing notes and quotes. BUILD YOUR LIBRARY • Import & Sync – Import your existing libraries from Goodreads, Kindle, StoryGraph, or Reading List with a tap. • Quick Add – Build your library by searching millions of books, scanning any book's barcode, or adding your own. • Book Recommendations* – Discover trending books, find books based on your mood or any prompt, and browse curated collections to find your next read. • Everything Tracker – Easily manage book collections, reading status, star ratings, reading dates, and more for all your books. • Reading Sessions* – Pick up a book, start a session, and we’ll track everything so you can focus on reading. IMPROVE YOUR READING HABITS • Book Chat – Chat with our AI librarian to generate summaries and flash cards, discuss key ideas, and much more! • Reading Stats – Visualize your reading habits over time with charts and reading stats. • Reading Goals – Create a reading goal for the year to motivate yourself to read more or challenge your friends! • Estimated Completion Time – See how long it will take to finish any book with your average reading speed. • Reading Streaks* – Stay motivated by keeping up your streak! REMEMBER WHAT YOU READ • Smart Notes* – Use cards to jot down notes or vocab, write a summary, or prepare study questions. Scan text directly from books or add rich text of your own. • Knowledge Quizzes* – Spaced-repetition quizzes on your note cards that will significantly increase your retention, guaranteed. • Reading Reminders* – Never forget to read or test your knowledge with timely notifications. OTHER FEATURES • Cloud Sync* & Daily Backups – Sync between your iOS devices so your library is always up-to-date, or restore from previous backups. • App Icons – Make Bookshelf your own with beautiful custom home-screen icons. • Library Export* – Never fear losing your books or notes with CSV library exports. • Dark Mode – Beautiful during the day, gorgeous and eye-saving at night. *Some features require Bookshelf Gold for access or unlimited use Gold Lifetime charges your Apple ID once for permanent Gold status. Gold Yearly charges your Apple ID for 12 months of Gold status after a 7-day free trial unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the trial ends. Gold Monthly charges your Apple ID for 1 month of Gold status on purchase confirmation. Subscriptions automatically renew unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. You can cancel anytime in your iTunes account settings. For more information, see our Terms and Conditions at bit.ly/2NNm93Z and Privacy Policy at bit.ly/31Mad8s.

About

Aleph

This app helps you build a consistent reading habit by tracking your progress, maintaining streaks, and visualizing your reading activity. Log sessions quickly for print, e-books, and audiobooks, and organize your personal library with notes and ratings.

Highlights
  • Daily reading streak tracking
  • Reading activity heatmap
  • Session logging for all book types
  • Visual book library with cover art
  • Social leaderboards
  • Cross-device syncing
Features
Read full description

Aleph is a reading tracker that turns reading into a daily habit. Log a session in seconds, keep your streak alive, and watch your shelf fill with every book you've read. BUILD A READING HABIT • Keep a daily reading streak, and chase your longest • See your consistency on a reading activity heatmap • Watch your pages and listening time add up: today, this week, and all time LOG A SESSION IN SECONDS • Slide to the page where you stopped, and Aleph records the rest • Track pages for print and e-books, minutes for audiobooks • Start tracking partway through a book you've already begun • Look back on every session you've logged YOUR LIBRARY, FACE OUT • Every book stands cover-forward on your shelf, the way it would at home • Sort books into Reading, Finished, and Want to Read • Search and filter your shelf as you type • Keep notes on every book, and rate the ones you finish READ ALONGSIDE OTHERS • Climb the leaderboard for today, this week, and this month • Books and audiobooks each have their own board • Tap any reader to see their profile YOUR LIBRARY GOES WITH YOU • Sign in with Apple or Google, and your library syncs across your devices Whether you want to read 10 pages a day or finish 50 books this year, Aleph helps you turn good intentions into a habit that lasts. PLANS • Monthly — after a 7-day free trial for eligible new subscribers • Annual — after a 7-day free trial for eligible new subscribers • Lifetime — one-time purchase Aleph offers a 7-day free trial for eligible new subscribers. A subscription unlocks all features, with no ads or feature tiers. Prices vary by region and are displayed in the app before purchase. SUBSCRIPTION TERMS Monthly and Annual are auto-renewable subscriptions. Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase. Subscriptions renew automatically unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. You can manage or cancel your subscription in your Apple Account settings. Any unused portion of a free trial is forfeited when a subscription is purchased. Terms of Use: https://www.readaleph.com/terms Privacy Policy: https://www.readaleph.com/privacy

Screenshots

Bookshelf4 screens
Aleph4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Aleph at 5.0 against Bookshelf's 4.6. Aleph also leads on update cadence (every 2 days vs fortnightly). Bookshelf's advantage is ratings volume (4.2K vs 1). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Bookshelf sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month and Aleph sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Aleph holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Bookshelf has 4.2K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Bookshelf ships an update fortnightly, Aleph every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Bookshelf versus Aleph: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBookshelfAleph
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (4.2K ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews52.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings4.2K — better1
Update frequencyFortnightlyEvery 2 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS17.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size283 MB22 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAlexander GerreseBlake Hunsicker

Customer experience

Bookshelf

All ratings4,095 ratings
Positive91.7%
Neutral4.0%
Negative4.3%
Written reviews465 reviews
Positive52.0%
Neutral15.7%
Negative32.3%

Aleph

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Bookshelf

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Books disappearing from library after updates
  • Reading progress not syncing correctly
  • Inconsistent behavior of reading mode and session tracking
  • Search function frequently returning incorrect results

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add ability to import/export data
  • Implement better sorting and filtering options
  • Allow customizable book covers and collections
  • Add support for audiobook tracking
  • Integrate with other reading apps and services

Aleph

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

7 purchases

Bookshelf

Subscriptions2
  • Bookshelf Gold (Monthly)2 variants$6.991 Month
  • Bookshelf Gold (Yearly)7 Days trial2 variants$29.991 Year
One-time5
  • Tokens Refill (Small)$0.99
  • Tokens Refill (Medium)$4.99
  • 250 Tokens$9.99
Show 2 more
  • Tokens Refill (Large)$9.99
  • Bookshelf Gold (Lifetime)2 variants$79.99
3 purchases

Aleph

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly7 Days trial$6.991 Month
  • Annual7 Days trial$44.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime$159.99

Questions

Is Bookshelf free?
Bookshelf is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Aleph free?
Aleph is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Bookshelf or Aleph?
Aleph is rated higher. Bookshelf averages 4.6 out of 5 from 4.2K ratings, while Aleph averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Bookshelf or Aleph have ads?
Neither Bookshelf nor Aleph shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Bookshelf or Aleph?
Bookshelf ships an update fortnightly, and Aleph every 2 days. Most recently, Bookshelf was updated on November 3, 2026 and Aleph on October 31, 2026.

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